STUCK 2

Chapter 6

Author's note: 150 comments for next chapter.
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Donavan was thunderstruck. 

He had nothing to say, nothing to add on to when the little girl warily walked, keeping distance from him to reach her mother. He couldn't take his eyes off her. The more he watched her, the more he realised how much of a reflection of him was she, from her eyes, to hair, to skin, to face, to everything. He needed no DNA test to confirm she was his blood, his assumed dead child.

When the toddler finally reached close enough to Tara, she hid behind her knees, slowly peeking out to the stranger. And when she found his eyes still glued on her, she hid again.

And even in that searing moment, the sweet act made him smile, in pain, in joy. He could not believe it, nor could he pay attention to someone else watching him alarmingly.

"Why did you tell us to go away?"

A woman's voice brought him back to reality and his gaze finally moved to a woman of Tara's age, probably the caretaker, standing next to him, asking Tara in concern.

After taking care of the daughter of Ms. Chatterjee for so long, Anita knew one thing, they had no family. When she witnessed a heighted man standing in their apartment, she felt a tinge of skepticism, more in worry than curiosity. Her eyes moved and back and forth between them, wondering who the strangely dangerous man was in Ms. Gaatha's home. The haphazardly thrown purse and jacket in the middle of floor didn't help her imagination too.

"I...it's.. " Tara tried to find her voice, wondering why she at all had to talk in this moment. She just wanted to escape, to keep quiet until everything went back to normal again. But now that he had arrived, there was hardly any possibility that it would happen anytime soon. The thought of her daughter falling in his hands was terrifying, downright insufferable. 

She could see her baby's future under his roof, where he ruled just like any other mafia don, dealing his daughter to other monsters for alliance, for his own personal gain. She'd have no future, no room for ambitions of a normal young woman. Of all she didn't want her life to be reflected in her daughter's, it was a curse she wouldn't put on her most rival enemy. And suddenly Tara felt herself falling apart, realising that all her efforts had gone in vain, that no matter how far away she had ran from him, it wasn't far enough. He had found Tara, and abysmally so, her daughter too. 

"dille di andarsene" Don muttered under his breathe, irritated at someone else's unwanted presence.
(Tell her to leave)

It was no secret that Tara knew Italian and the other woman didn't. Usually he didn't care for what he did and who watched, but in front of the little girl, He wished to not make a bad impression.

Tara was taken aback by his order. He again wanted them to be alone, something that she knew would never bring anything good to the table. And so she sniffled to control her own turmoil of emotions, unsure what to do, and when he noticed her hesitance, his edgy tone did the job for himself,

"o vuoi che la uccida?"
(Or do you want me to kill her?)

Tara's mouth fell open at his crude remark. She realised he hadn't changed a bit. It was a favour he had done by conversing in Italian, protecting the ears of her daughter from his unfiltered words. Had it been up to his liking of place and time, he would have already put a bullet through the lady. 

Now that Anita cared to notice, she recognised the green storm in his eyes, the curls in his hair, the colour of his skin and her eyes widened in recognition. Her gaze terrifyingly moved to Tara. She remembered once asking Tara about her husband to which Tara had answered with, "He's dead". Now that it became painfully transparent he was indeed alive and breathing.